Toyota looking at building plant in North Las Vegas, blogger says
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21 December 2011
2:19 p.m.
A post by a local blogger suggesting that the Toyota Motor Corp. is considering building a manufacturing and distribution plant in North Las Vegas has generated some buzz, but economic development leaders statewide say they don’t know anything about such a project.
Freelance writer Mike Henle, who writes the Mad Dog Blog on his mikehenle.com website, reported Monday that unidentified North Las Vegas sources confirmed Toyota had been reviewing two sites for a plant for the past several months.
Henle, a former Las Vegas Review-Journal sports writer who writes about automotive topics and activities at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, among a wide variety of interests, said Toyota officials had invested to the point of conducting land surveys.
“One location is situated near Losee and Craig roads, while the other is reportedly being considered on Thomas & Mack land near Las Vegas Motor Speedway,” he wrote in his blog piece titled “Toyota rumored to be researching the idea of opening new plant in North Las Vegas.”
But economic development leaders in the state say they are not aware of any plan by Toyota to build a plant.
“It would be an absolutely wonderful way to start the new year,” said Terri Sheridan, of the city of North Las Vegas’ economic development department. “We do have sites of between 80 and 100 acres, depending on what part of the city they are looking at. I think with something like that, anything is possible.”
Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, who chairs the state’s Economic Development Commission, said he hadn’t heard anything about it, nor had Somer Hollingsworth, president and CEO of the Nevada Development Authority.
Henle said Toyota was looking for a U.S. manufacturing site in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami centered 250 miles northeast of Tokyo. The disaster disrupted supply lines and manufacturing for Toyota, Honda, Acura, Nissan and Subaru models.
Henle wrote that his sources said the two sites had buildings in place and were near railroad spurs. Both are within easy access of Interstate 15.
Rick Myers, president of the Thomas & Mack Development Group, said his company was contacted about six months ago by an intermediary for a company interested in a large tract of land, but nothing came of it.
He said he did not know if Toyota was involved and hadn’t had contact with the auto company.
Thomas & Mack Development Group's online portfolio has a description of a North Las Vegas site, known as the Northern Beltway Industrial Center.
“Northern Beltway Industrial Center is a 1.92 million-square-foot development located at Range Road and El Campo Grande Avenue in North Las Vegas, just east of the I-15/215 interchange,” the company’s website says.
“The 97-acre project will consist of seven big-box industrial buildings ranging from 145,600 square feet to 500,000 square feet. Martin-Harris Construction is finishing the first phase consisting of two buildings with a combined total of 422,054 square feet. The project will accommodate large industrial and distribution users needing immediate access to local businesses and the interstate highway.”
Representatives of Toyota’s Kentucky-based domestic manufacturing division were unavailable, and several analysts covering the automotive industry were away for the holidays.
Henle wrote that a local businessman who conducted the land survey is convinced the Toyota rumor is true.
“We were paid $100,000 to survey the land,” he said. “Toyota is serious about this.”
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Unconfirmed reports from a blogger is now news?
I can see the "other" paper doing this but never thought the Sun would step to this type of reporting.
@ vegaslee - As opposed to getting your news from mainstream media? Yea, blogs are far more credible.
As far as the Toyota plant, cool stuff, that would be good news.
@Vegaslee I thought the same thing.
To be fair, they are repeating the blog of a (former) journalist, so there is some sense of legitimacy to doing so. At least more so than just a random info-pusher.
Social media has effectively killed journalism if the professional media doesn't get a handle on it soon. The average information consumer places more value on rumor than fact, especially when rumor can reported immediately and fact takes hours, days, weeks ... months... and nobody wants to be scooped.
I hope this is true. We used to have a different, more diverse economy back in the 80's until PEPCON went boom and the test site shut down. Manufacturing jobs would be good for us. Not everybody has the potential to be a doctor or a scientist. We need jobs for everyone.
I have seen big companies move into a new place unannounced many times. If Toyota is looking at Las Vegas the last thing they want before they make the decision is a lot of publicity. Leaked news has ended many projects before they have gotten off the ground. If this is true keep a lid on it until Toyota is ready to make the news public.
NIce rumor but this is exactly the type of business Las Vegas needs. Toyota and other companies would be smart to move production to Nevada, excellent tax benefits, good work force, inexpensive living conditions and centrally located.
The most important thing to do right now is to not get too excited. The last thing we need to do is get the horrible businesses speculators who want to make a quick buck to drive up the property values of N. Las Vegas and scare Toyota away from investing in this place. When Walt Disney built Walt Disney world in Orlando Florida he made sure of it that his plans were top secret. He sent out secret agents to buy up the land as cheaply as possible that way he would have money left over to build a nice, big, state of the art facility.
I say we give Toyota the same privilege of doing business here. Keep the property values affordable and well within reach that way they can build the best car factory that their architects can dream up. This would be a huge benefit to our economy and it would bring plenty of secure jobs right here in Nevada. Right here where they are so desperately needed. It would be a green environmentally friendly factory. Offering jobs that won't simply disappear when discretionary spending disappears. People will always need to buy new cars in this country but they don't always have to throw money in the slot machines especially when money is tight. I pray that our city officials will do everything in their power to make this Toyota factory a reality. Our lives are depending on it. We only get one chance to get this right. Please don't muck it up.
This is why no one takes this paper seriously. Reposting a blog? Really? I guess that's what you get when you get your journalism degree from UNLV.
Is there an inch of land left around Craig and Losee??
However, it would be a great asset to the area. However, even though they are Toyotas (which are built in other areas of the country) - these would be union jobs so take note all ye who hate unions. These cars will most likely be sold here in the U.S.
Another thing - how does this Mike guy know these "unidentified North Las Vegas sources"? They going to spread rumors via a blogger? I wouldn't believe it until you hear this from a real source, and not some blogger.
beerbelly
Toyota is not "other companies". I find it hard to believe that anything Toyota wants to do would be kept secret for long.
<<Toyota and other companies would be smart to move production to Nevada, excellent tax benefits, good work force, inexpensive living conditions and centrally located>>
All good points but unless the plant would just be manufacturing Toyota parts, you have one concern: if it is cars that would be made - how would they get the inventory around the country? If this is true - Toyota is probably doing studies right now on how the product can be delivered. There ARE rail tracks going thru North Las Vegas - near Craig and Losee and you are right off the highway, too. But again - is there land left around Craig and Losee to build a huge plant that would be needed. I have seen the Chrysler plant in Belividere, IL and it is on a HUGE HUGE piece of land. Are there 50-100 acres left around Craig & Losee???
Det_Munch: Good Point
But I have watched first hand Toyota and Caterpillar set up new assembly plants in the San Antonio Metro Area. The politicians, the Economic Development Board, the Vendors, and everyone else involved were told that if they leaked information before an official announcement was made the project could/would go elsewhere. If Toyota is looking at Las Vegas they are also looking at 3 or 4 other potential locations.
I think Toyota is just what Las Vegas needs at this time. It would not only provide jobs at the plant but also with the vendors and other support industries associated with it. All I am saying is don't scare them away with false or inaccurate information and wait for an official announcement.
Las Vegas is too far removed from the Part Suppliers generally located from Ohio to Alabama. I doubt there will be Any automotive plant built very far west of the Mississippi River.
Maybe they'd rather come here than Alabama since the racist right hasn't completely taken over Nevada - YET!
Ben L., is absolutely right. There are "almost" no parts suppliers nearby so it doesn't make sense. They also just built a plant in Mississippi to increase their US production. I contacted a friend of mine who is pretty far up the management chain at Toyota in California and he said he would be more surprised than anyone if it were true. He did say, however, it could be a parts depot/ warehouse and not a manufacturing plant. That would make a lot more sense to me.
IF the story is legit, the locations listed suggest that its not going to be a manufacturing facility. The areas are way too small and not zoned for it. They're probably looking for a parts depot. A simple Google search would have saved you and your employer much embarrassment, Mr. Velotta. I bet this'll teach you not to repost blogs ever again.
Not enough infrastructure to support an assembly plant and logistics in/out would be an issue. If you think they're considering Vegas then why not go a little ways south of the border and get really cheap labor, no EPA to speak of and an existing infrastructure to get cars across the border.